The nose showed ripe berries, exotic spice, and earth, with hints of burnt sugar. On the palate, it was medium to full-bodied with ripe fruits, cinnamon spice and cherry, which lasted through the long, saturating finish. It was a big wine but remaine...

Hi everyone. This is my first post on the boards. My wife and I are doing a long weekend in Healdsburg (Jan 15-17) and Yountville (Jan 17-19) over MLK weekend and were looking for some recommendations on wineries to visit. We tend to like more full bodied red wines, but are open to other wines as well. We are from New York and want to focus o...
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After graduating from medical school and before beginning indentured service as a resident physician, my wife and I decided we should make a trip out to California wine country and Yosemite. So, a week after moving to my new residency location, we pawned off the two year old on the grandparents and headed for the hills of California.We arrived i...
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Last week I began my summer time look at Zinfandel by focusing on Mendocino and lake counties, two regions that have limited presence in the Zin lovers mind. Today I'm taking a different tact and focusing instead on lodi, a veritable Zin lovers paradise.Why you ask?Well simply put it's a region that not only has a great climate for Zinfandel, wi...
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There are tons of garage wine stories around here. Sometimes these guys kick some serious arse. Williams-Selyem was first produced in a garage in Forestville. Timeline1970’s Burt and Ed begin making wine in a garage in Forestville. Some of their first fruit is from local grower Leno Martinelli; Zinfandel from 84-year old vines grown on Jackass H...
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I don't utter those words easily (homemade wine). Personally, I think it's crap and that there's no such thing as GREAT homemade wine.I was wondering what some of your stories and/or responses are with and when offered said crap.I occasionally am offered a bottle (because wine may come up in conversation with acquaintances or clients) and I resp...
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We're heading back to (my favorite wine region) Russian River the first weekend in October and are looking for advice on what to do and what to expect. We've been to RRV several times but only during the off season. Is there anything special we should do at this time of year, and conversely, is there anything we should avoid?
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